


Passing The Abyss

by insanitysdelusion



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: BillDip, Bipper, Captain - Freeform, Change of Names, Gravity Falls - Freeform, M/M, No Smut, Pirates, Sea, Ship, no, not really romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 07:15:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9112321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insanitysdelusion/pseuds/insanitysdelusion
Summary: A teenage boy who dreams of leaving his drab life behind makes a twisted deal with a pirate known for his cruelness and bravery. Once the deal is sealed the boy joins part of the captains crew and ropes everyone into his own journey.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was a story for my English class, but I had BillDip in mind while I wrote it. (I couldn't write a bunch of romance into it, but I did some?) So the names are different but the captain was based around Bill Cipher and Nikolai was based around Dipper. If I find the time soon I will go back and change all of them. (The ending was written kind of rushed, and again I will go back sometime and change things)

“I’ll make you a deal kid, How about that?”  
“A deal?” I’m confused by his offer. I only mentioned wanting to leave this town... badly.  
“Yes, a deal. I’ll get you out of this hellhole and you, Nikolai, will do me a favor. You see, I am the captain of a ship, a very fancy ship, and I can take you anywhere.” He starts to smile a wicked smile, one of a crazy man. But I’d do anything to get out of this town; I’m sick of it and everyone in it.  
“What is this favor you ask of me?” I’m a bit worried at what it might be, but I’m rather desperate. I might make the deal with the captain, even if what I owe him is horrible.  
“I’ll tell you when I think of something. So, do we have a deal?” He glances down at his watch, “We don’t have a whole lot of time before I have to leave with my ship, you know.”  
The captain’s kind looking face has slipped back into the crazed expression, and his dark skin and sandy hair looks a little ominous, but I really, really have to get out of here.  
I quickly grab his hand and shake it. When I look at our clasped hands, golden skin against porcelain, I notice a slight red glow emanating from where our skin touches. I try to pull away, but he yanks me closer and whispers in my ear, “The deal is sealed, my boy, and nothing can break it.” He drops my hand and I stumble away from him, feeling a low throbbing spreading through my hand to my elbow. The throbbing begins to burn, and I notice through my blinding pain that a spider web of black markings is beginning to appear down my arm. Through the inky webs I notice the form of a… crow is forming.  
“Wha-what’s happening!?”  
“You made a deal with me, and I’m calling in the favor. Right now.”


	2. Chapter 2

“What did you do to me? What kind of deal did you trick me into?!” I’m shaking all over; what have I done?  
“You see, I’ve had this curse placed on me, and the only way to get rid of it is to pass it on. You were the unlucky guy to get it next. There’s still some good news waiting for you at the end of the tunnel though. Don’t worry, kid. I can still take you wherever you want to go in my fancy ship.” His face has stilled into a calm smile but his eyes still have a strange glint to them.  
“But-but what is this curse? What have I- no you- done to me?” I’m shaking more violently now. What if it’s some disease or worse! What if I’m driven insane and lose my mind?  
He starts to push me along the dock towards his ship, “Stop your stuttering poor boy! You’ve only got to pass it on and you’ll be fine. Now! Where did you even want to go?”  
I’m still shaking, but I’ve calmed some; for some reason his hand on my shoulder has a calming effect on me. Maybe he’s still got a few charms and curses still swimming in his infested blood. With that in mind, I realize we’re walking towards the most massive ship in the dock, the one that chilled my blood every time I saw it. I don’t know why I fear it, but it has an evil look to it. Under my breath I mutter, “An evil man must have an evil ship.”  
The captain’s eyes quickly slice through me. “What was that?”  
Noticing that his grip tightened I quickly say in an apologetic manner, “No-nothing, sir, captain, sir.”  
“You can call me Loki, Captain Loki. And we can discuss the matters of our deal in my cabin.” You can tell he’s trying not to grin at me, that he’s keeping his face angry and passive for his crew. He grabs my arm more tightly again, as if I would slip away and hide on his massive ship, as he leads me to a large door below the steering wheel. “Welcome! Welcome! Now, as you know, our deal is of dire importance to your well being.”  
“Yes, and I-“ He places a hand over my mouth to keep me from continuing.  
“So, I’m going to be very blunt with you, kid. I’m not going to tell you about the likes of this curse, so ask a better question.” He finishes his sentence off by slamming his boots onto his desk.  
“Oh, o-ok then.” My shaking starts up again, and with my shaking, the captain’s face begins to soften. “I-I’d really like to sail to an island I read about. When we get there, you can leave me, I’d be fine.” Finding my bravado again I looked him in the eyes and forced myself to slow my fear.

“What is the name of this island boy? I can’t take you to a place I don’t know the name of.” A smirk crawls onto his face and his seemingly normal cockiness starts to show again. “I know you’d be fine.” The captain leans forward in his seat and grabs my right arm, turning it so the underside faces up. I notice the swirls of black spider webs have formed an image of a crow with a crown over its head. “I won’t tell you the details of this “curse”, but know it’s not all that bad.”  
I pull my arm from him and rub at my wrist; he’s got himself a rough grip. “I read about the island in a book, It’s called Abyss Island. It’s a treacherous ship ride there, but we made a deal.” A smirk of my own starts to appear, I know being cocky towards Captain Loki won’t get me anywhere, but what do I have to lose? “And nothing can break it.” I lean back in my chair, feeling as if I’m above him.  
“The trip there is easy enough. I’ve been there several times myself. And yes, the deal cannot be broken; I take my deals very seriously.” I quickly feel as if my highchair has been ripped from beneath me. He doesn’t seem to take other peoples cockiness well. I guess this ship ride is going to be miserable for me after all, when I’ve only just gotten away from my first miserable position in life. My feeling of victory begins to fade, and I relax into a neutral expression.  
Captain Loki jumps up from his seat, startling me from my seat as well. “I’ve got to get this ship moving if we’re to get anywhere.” He starts to take off towards the cabin door, but stops with his hand on the doorknob. “I’m going to need your help while you’re on this ship. Do you agree to help me?” He lifts his hand towards mine so we can shake hands.  
I hesitate wondering what else he could ask me to do, but again… What do I really have to lose anymore? My hand seems to move on its own accord, and I take his hand firmly. When I look into his eyes, I see something swimming in them. Mischief, maybe, or is it insanity? I shake hands with him quickly before I can change my own mind. The captain is out the door and shouting orders before the door shuts behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

I’m not really sure what I’m to do while on the ship, so I walk behind his desk and sit. Captain Loki’s desk is the definition of a disaster with papers thrown on top of one another, and even a gold piece being used as a paperweight. I quickly peer over each of the papers while he’s busy shouting orders to get the ship moving; I think I have time for a look around. Most of the papers on top are criminal charges for thieving and murder. Others are death threats, and one of them, I notice, is a treaty of trade. Who would want to trade good with a pirate? Pirates are known as untrustworthy and thieves of men. I quickly move on with my search in fear of Captain Loki coming back. I slowly pull open the top drawer of his desk so no creaks are heard. The only thing in the drawer is a sketch of the marking on my right arm. How peculiar…  
I reach for the remaining drawer and pull it open in the same manner, except this one is well used and slides open easily. Inside, I find several gold pieces and a small sword like object, a dagger maybe.  
When I go to reach for it, I hear footsteps creaking towards the cabin… My eyes widen as I shut the drawer as quietly as possible, which isn’t very quiet. I stand from Captain Loki’s chair and pretend to examine the massive wall of swords he has.  
“Hey, boy! We’re holding a fine dinner in our special guest’s honor, Commun!” I glance up nonchalantly as if I’ve been here for a while. When I see the captain with his shaggy sand colored hair and caramel skin, I notice how excited he must be for this dinner. He’s changed into a fine coat and boots that must be common for pirates… (How young he is to be a pirate.) I glance down at my poor attire and notice how shabby I’ll look at this dinner, for I’m only wearing a tannish shirt and a poor quality of pants. When I came aboard this ship, I wasn’t thinking about the future, only of now. I hope it doesn’t matter…  
The captain spins on his heel and sets a quick pace towards what must be the dining hall where I hear loud drunken singing. I pull at some of the chocolate colored hair that fell into my eyes. I guess it won’t really matter what I wear if everyone’s too drunk to notice.  
“Why hold a dinner if I’ll be gone tomorrow?” My voice sounds so small out in the open.  
“Why not? When you don’t have much to celebrate, you celebrate about anything out of the ordinary.” I notice his cheeks are already a slight pinkish; he must have taken a few sips too many before he came and gathered me. Maybe he won’t notice I’ve looked through his things.  
I was about to speak again, but we had reached the dining hall and I realized there was definitely no need to dress us. Men are leaning all over each other singing different parts of the same song at the same time, making a crazy sounding melody. I also see that no one bothers to use silverware… only their hands. I guess I shouldn’t have expected much more when it came to pirates. I’m also not sure if I’m glad that I’ll be gone tomorrow, or if I’ll quickly learn to like these men and miss them. Right now I decide I won’t miss them.  
Captain Loki throws his arm around my shoulder surprising me, “Aye, kid. S-so wh-why are you going to th-that specific island any-anyways?”  
I decide to tell him the truth; he’s too drunk to remember. “My mother told me stories about the island, and I think that might be where she is.” I haven’t spoken about my mother in a long time…  
“Whyyyy would your mum be thereeee? That’s a preeeeetty spooky place to be.” His slurs are getting worse by the moment, but I don’t think I can bring myself to care. I’ve never spoken about what happened, and maybe telling it to a drunken man will make it better.  
“She loved mysteries. She loved them more than anything.” More than dad or me. “So she sailed off and became one, I think she likes the idea of being mysterious. Maybe that gave her peace, or maybe she just needed to leave.” I really, really shouldn’t have started talking about it; I don’t think I’ll be able to stop now that I’ve started. “I found her old diary a few weeks ago, and she said she was going to Abyss Island. To find… who knows what. Probably nothing. No actually, it’s probably something, but she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she just told everyone the answer to the mystery. I looked for her for years. My father gave up a few years ago, but I wont stop looking until I find her. Even if I have to chase her to the end of the world - even if I die in vain trying…” I feel something wet trailing down my face, and I realize I’m crying.  
When I glance up to the captain, I realize he’s sobered quite a bit. He looks me in the eyes, and I realize he was never drunk; he’s just looking for answers to his own mystery… Me…. I’m the question and the answer.


	4. Chapter 4

. . .

The ship ride to Abyss Island lasts a day longer than I expect since Captain Loki only said it was a one-day trip. Many things change on this extra day of travel and I realize that the day I thought I could call the captain my friend, was the day I would jump overboard to swim with sirens. Or so I thought. I guess things can change in only a couple of days. Once I spilled the beans about my mother, he started to realize something. He realized that the curse he put on me was the start of a prophecy he read about. The prophecy always had this aching familiarity every time he saw it, and he was never sure why. Well, he wasn’t sure until I started talking about Abyss Island. He wouldn’t tell me the details of the prophecy. Why does he always have to feel mysterious? … I really think him and my mother would get a long.  
Captain Loki still got this insane look in his eye when something entertaining or maddening happened. Maybe being on the sea has changed him over the years. Though I must say, the sandy haired lad is quite young to be a pirate, startlingly young. I’m 23 years of age, and he’s only 20. I could be his superior, but I can never actually see myself acting so. The captain has a sense of being above everyone on this ship, and he runs the ship with vigor. He isn’t a cruel captain, but he gets what needs done, done. He is just.   
Over this last day, I’ve really taken in his and my difference in appearance. My porcelain skin doesn’t match the ship’s crew with their caramel to milk chocolate skin. Their hair is a mix of light browns to sand colored, with mine being a dark chocolate mousse. I also notice they each have strong shoulders, chins, and builds. Does Captain Loki just pick the most handsome pirates he can find? Through their beauty though, there are also signs of rot. The crewmembers teeth have rotted from lack of brushing, and black spots plague their arms from some unknown disease they all share, maybe scurvy.   
“Boy-I mean Nikolai!” I’ve asked him to stop calling me boy. “We’re nearing the island. Come grab a sail and reel it in!” Captain Loki has his crazed expressions swimming in his eyes again; I decide that I really don’t mind right now.  
I glance down at the swirling tattoo of a crow on my wrist. What does it mean? My eyes harden as I pep myself to ask the captain what the curse is. I have to know before I leave, I can’t be left with another mystery. When I reach the sail closest to me, I call out, “Loki!” His eyes widen with surprise. No one called him by just his name. “I need to speak to you before we leave the ship!”  
Loki hops from his post and finesses towards me. I can tell he’s not happy. He’s got his signature look of insanity roaming in his eyes. He pushes me towards his cabin and holds the door open for me to go in. He doesn’t speak until he sits at his desk. “You absolutely cannot call me Loki. It’s Captain Loki.” He’s wearing a grimace on his face like a mask. I’m not really sure if he’s faking being mad or if that’s just how he looks when he’s angry. “What is it you wish to speak about?”  
“I can’t not know what the crow is, what this curse is. I’ve already got plenty of mysteries piled on top of my chest; just tell me what it means. Please.” I tried to keep my voice steady but you can definitely hear the desperation laced around my words.   
“My bo- Nikolai. I will tell you some of it but, I’m not able to tell you everything. Even though I passed the curse to you, there’s still part of it holding me back from telling you everything. It’s just a part of it. I’m sorry, Nikolai.” You could tell he was actually sorry; his face fell with each word pouring from his lips.   
“But- you can tell me some? That’s what you said, right?” Even more desperation than before could be heard in my words.  
“Yes, I can tell you the rock bottom of the curse. The rest you’ll have to figure out yourself.” Some hope crawled into his eyes, and maybe I spot the insanity roaming again.   
“Well? What can you tell me? Please, don’t spare a word.”


	5. Chapter 5

“It can help you, but know, Nikolai, if you don’t pass on this curse, you’ll eventually be driven insane. You’ll start seeing things, hearing things. You’ve had the curse for what, three days?”  
“Y-yes. It’s been three days since you’ve passed it to me.” Have I been hallucinating since then? Am I already crazy?  
He coughs out a laugh. “Stop worrying my boy. I had the curse passed to me months before I started to see things. You’re fine… for now. You see the curse is different for everyone. I recommend passing it on as soon as you can. Another thing to know about it is that mark on your arm,” he grabs my wrist and turns my arm over so the crow is facing up, “Will signify how far gone you are. You see the smoke looking part surrounding it? The further up your arm it travels, the more insane you may become.” He coughs out another, harsher laugh. “No worries. No worries. You’ve no smoke crawling up your arm. You’re fine.”   
I look at my arm and study it diligently. “Oh, OK the-“ I’m knocked forward and hit Captain Loki’s desk with my chest. When I lean back I hear, “LAND HO!”  
The Captain’s face breaks into an ear-to-ear smile, “We’ve made it my boy!” He scurries around me and grabs my arm, pulling me from my seat. “Come on, let’s find your mother!”   
“You-You’ll help me?” I think my voice was filled to the brim with relief; I was a hopeless case without him.   
“Of-course. I’m almost 100% sure you’d be dead without me. Do you think your mother fared well on her own?” He sounds sure she’s still alive. I am too.   
With his hand still on my arm, he pulls me out of his cabin and onto the dock. The first thing I notice is the island. It’s massive and full of sandy shores and lush trees. I think I hear a… what is that? It sounds like a vacuum almost. How peculiar. Shrugging it off I walk down the plank the crew seemingly pulled from thin air. Captain Loki still has his hand on my arm as if he’s afraid that if he lets go I’ll disappear. No fear, Captain. I really don’t feel like walking into that forest and dying immediately. “Where do you think we should begin?” We haven’t even stared yet, and I feel… overwhelmed.   
“Well, why don’t we just plunge straight into the forest and fall head over heels?” He smiles with his mouth, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s just as overwhelmed as I am.


	6. Chapter 6

“Do you have some sort of map?” I really, really hope he has a map.  
“I’m sorry, my boy. No one maps this place. It changes too often.” He looks worried about what we should do.  
“What do you mean it changes too often?”  
“I mean, your mother came here because this island has something strange about it. Every… say two month this island will change entirely. The caves will move miles from their original location, same with the trees, mountains, rivers… No one knows why it happens, but it does.” Captain Loki looks out towards the trees, “I’m not sure if we’ll find your mother Nikolai, but we can try.”  
“You mentioned a mountain… I don’t see a mountain.” I turn in a full circle looking for it.  
The Captain puts his hand on my shoulder and stops my spinning; he turns me so that I’m facing the sea. “Look,” He turns my face. “Right there.” I don’t see it at first, but then I do. It was the largest mountain I have ever seen, the top was coated in white fluffy snow and the bottom was sitting in the sea.  
“How is it in the sea? It’s so far out… It’d have to be 50 miles down.” My face is scrunched in confusion. That can’t be possible.  
“I told you this island is strange, I’m not sure why. But it is.” Captain Loki turns his back and starts to walk towards the ship, “Come on! We’ve got to get the crew together and then gather supplies.”  
“We’re all going into the forest?”  
“We will cover more ground like this. Though there’s a high chance of getting lost, so here’s what we’re gonna do. I have miles and miles of rope on this ship, so we’re going to go in groups and tie the rope around a tree and then ourselves. So we don’t get lost.” It actually sounds like a pretty good idea. I was just thinking about getting lost… And how I would definitely die if I did.  
I follow the Captain back on board as he starts throwing rucksacks at each of his crewmembers, “You know where everything is, get… I don’t know. Water, some food, and rope! Lots of rope! Hey kid!” He glances at me, “Grab a bag and walk around till you see what you think we’ll need. You’re smart, you’ll figure it out.”  
I indeed figure it out, the organization on this boat was horrendous but somehow everything simple to find. Maybe the luck I was “granted” is kicking in. I grab water, basic food, and, as he said, rope. Though my mind is racing about the dangers we could find. What if I needed a weapon? With this in mind I sneak unnoticed into Captain Loki’s cabin, where all of his swords are. I don’t really know how to use one, but I could figure it out if I need to, I hope. I reach towards a brilliant one with blood red rubies embedded in the hilt, and a blade sharp enough to cut a man in half. My fingers graze the handle when I hear the clicking of fine boots, “What are you doing in here, Nikolai.”


	7. Chapter 7

.” I slowly turn expecting the Captain’s face to be that of fury, but instead I again see glee and maybe insanity, again swimming in his eyes. “You’re smart kid. We will indeed need swords, and you’ve also got an eye for a fine blade. That’s the best one I’ve got.” He glances at my hand, the one touching the sword, “Where do you think you’d hide that anyways, in your back pocket?”  
I start to back away with my cheeks aflame, “I’m sorry, sir. I wasn’t sure if you’d allow me a sword, and I felt I would need one.”  
He barks out a laugh, rough from years of drinking. “It’s fine, Nikolai! I’m glad you tried to grab one, I would have sent us all to our death’s if I forgot swords. How else would we fight what’s out there?”  
I pull the sword from its place on the wall and hook it around my waist, “What exactly is out there?” A thought comes to mind. What about my mother? “C- could my mother survive the creatures out there?!”  
He laughs again, “There’s nothing out there! This island shifts too much for anything to call it home, well maybe except your mother. If she’s a tough one. We’ve just got to fight back the briars and brush. You don’t really need a fine sword like the one in your belt, but if that’s the one you fancy go with it.”   
Captain Loki grabs a sword of his own and walks to the door of his cabin, “BOYS! COME GRAB YOUR SWORDS!” Each of the crewmember’s lets loose a wide smile as they come running for their weapons. The Captain hands them all a sword at random, no one complains, they’re all just happy to have swords in their hands. “Come on, Nikolai I think we’re ready, let’s find her.” He has a sad sort of smile on his face, like he’s not sure what’ll happen but he has hope.  
“Ye-yeah, I’m ready. Let’s find my mom.” Under my breath I mutter a quick prayer to the gods in Olympus. I hope we get out of here, with my mother intact. Each of the crewmembers finds a partner to their liking and ties a length of rope around their waists and a tree. We’ve each got miles upon miles of rope. Who has this much rope, really?   
“Come on, Nikolai.” Captain Loki has the rope tied around his waist already and is waiting on me. When I get near him I take some rope and tie some loosely around my own waist and have him help me tie the end to a tree.   
I glance at him and see the ever-living madness swimming in his eyes.  
He’s ready.  
I look towards the miles of woods in front of us and feel determination in my heart, “We’ll find her.” 

....

TO BE CONTINUED 

 

(When I find time...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know how you liked it and if I should continue this story!

**Author's Note:**

> Also! Please leave Kudos or a comment if you enjoyed it!


End file.
